OC Editorial: House Calls with Kathleen Hanna in the Flatiron District

Walking into Kathleen Hanna's apartment was a totally surreal experience—and not just because her self-designed home is the most beautiful loft we've had the pleasure of shooting (Julie Ruin interiors—can you imagine?!). As fans of hers musically, culturally, and politically, Christelle and I worried that the "Don't meet your heroes" curse would be true, but it turned out to be exactly the opposite—we walked out even bigger fans of our favorite Riot Grrrl than we ever have been before! Check out our interview with Kathleen below.

View Kathleen in House CallsHERE | View the entire editorial HERE.
Daria Radlinski: What was your first job?Kathleen Hanna:McDonald's
DR: What do you never leave home without? KH: My 3-in-1 tool. It's a flashlight, flare, seatbelt cutter, and glass breaker—all in one. It should be called the 4-in-1 tool. I had jury duty and it made the metal detector bleep so the guards made me empty my purse, when they saw it they all started laughing. They thought it was a dildo and let me take it in, little did they know I could have broken all the windows in that place!
DR: What object in your apartment have you had for the longest time?KH:A small wooden house that has a smaller wooden house in it, and then an even smaller one, etc. My aunt got it on her travels around Germany in the 70s. No one else in my family really traveled outside the US so when she gave it to me I thought it was so exotic and she was so cool. Plus, I think I was born loving architecture so the idea of houses inside each other really got me going. I was six when she gave it to me and it's still on my dresser.
I like my records but I love the art my friend's make .

DR: Do you have a lucky charm? KH: I have several
DR: What song will you always love?KH:Every song on Diamond Life by Sade
DR: If you were going to be in another band, who would you want to be your band mates? KH:Yuka Honda and Miho Hatori (of Cibo Matto) and Adam Horovitz. I would play guitar, Adam would play drums, Miho would sing lead, and Yuka would play keyboard.
DR: Best piece of advice you've ever received? KH:In Marlo Thomas' book she said something like, "You need to wear blinders like a horse in a race and not worry about what the other horses next to you are doing, or who is going to win the race. Just run."
DR: What is your virtue? KH: Optimism
DR: What is your vice?KH: Optimism